Gridiron Grub: Fiesta Peppers

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Regardless of what football team you root for, you are sure to be a fan of this amazing recipe. Try it once and you’ll be making it all season long. Imagine delicious stuffed peppers and a mouthwatering burrito. Mix them together and you get Mexican stuffed peppers. This delicious treat is ideal for munching on while watching the game at home and perfect for large groups. The recipe can easily be doubled in case you have an entire team of fans gathering for game time (and it can be made vegan to please vegetarian friends as well). These peppers taste so darn good, you won’t believe they are actually a pretty healthy football feast. Easy and fun to make, these are a true treat for the mouth and will have all your football buddies saying, “please pass the peppers!”

Rinse off the peppers and cut off their tops – but be sure to save the tops as you will need them later. Scoop out the insides of the peppers, leaving them hollow. Place the peppers in a pot of cold water. Cover and blanch for no more than 5 minutes. They should be bright in color, but don’t allow them to get soft or they will be difficult to stuff. After blanching, remove and drain the peppers. Place the peppers and their tops in a large baking dish.

In another pan, cook the brown rice (use the package instructions for this part). Use a sauté pan to heat the garlic, onion and veggies with olive oil (use medium/high heat for about 5 to 10 minutes). If you prefer not to use olive oil, you can add a small bit of water to the pan to sauté. Once the veggies are tender, go ahead and add the beans, stirring often. Chop scallions and cilantro and place in small bowls for pepper toppings. After the rice is cooked, you can then begin filling your peppers.

Each pepper should receive about 2 tablespoons or one-fourth cup of rice. Then fill the remainder of the pepper with the veggies and top with the shredded cheese (soy cheese can be used for vegan peppers). Bake the peppers with their tops off at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is a melted golden-brown.

Once the peppers are out of the oven, cover with their tops and serve. They can be sliced in half for serving and garnished with sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, scallions or whatever your preference. They go great with tortilla chips as well. Enjoy!

And it wouldn’t be a tailgate without an awesome guacamole dip! Here’s our recipe.

Nicole DiCicco is multimedia specialist in Connecticut who enjoys dancing, movies and live music. She writes about all the nightlife Connecticut has to offer. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.